ALABASTER, Alabama -- The Shelby Humane Society is inviting people with their canine pets to the annual Bark in the Park gathering on
Oct. 5 at Veterans Park in Alabaster.

The free festivity from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. features plenty
of fun opportunities for pets and their owners that include contests, live
entertainment and children activities. There will be bounce houses, arts and
crafts, face painting and more for the kids, as well as a vaccine clinic for
the pets.

There will also be adoption booths where people can find
pups looking for new homes, vendor booths featuring plenty of pet-related
products and educational areas where participants can learn techniques for
assisting them with their animals.

The year's gathering will again feature the Mutt Strut, a
mile-long walk around the park that allows participants to raise funds for
homeless pets at the Shelby Humane Society in Columbiana. The proceeds will benefit
the homeless cats and dogs housed temporarily at the shelter.

The Shelby Humane Society credits the City of Alabaster
for inviting the organization in February 2007 to help the municipal leaders
create an event for people and their dogs. The gathering continues to grow each
year, with the event attracting an estimated 5,000 attendees in 2011, according
to the Shelby Humane Society.

Visit the organization's website at shelbyhumane.org to get more information
about participating in the event.